April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Delfin LNG said on Monday it had signed a bindingϼ-year sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with a unit of energy and commodities firm Hartree Partners LP. Delfin said in a news release that the agreement moves it closer to making a final investment decision (FID) in mid-2023 to build its proposed Gulf Coast floating LNG (FLNG) export plant off Louisiana. Delfin is one of about a dozen companies hoping to make FIDs in 2023 to build proposed LNG export plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Many of those projects, like Delfin's, have been delayed for years due to coronavirus-related demand destruction, U.S.-China trade disputes and other factors that made LNG buyers hesitant to sign the long-term purchase agreements needed to finance the multibillion dollar projects. Under the SPA, Delfin would supply 0.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to Hartree at prices indexed to the U.S. Henry Hub natural gas benchmark in Louisiana. Delfin said it has now secured commitments for about 3.1 MTPA of LNG sales, which is sufficient to make a FID on the first FLNG vessel. Wouter Pastoor, chief operating officer of Delfin, said in the release that the company was also in a position "make FID on our second FLNG vessel by the end of this year.” Delfin said it had appointed a unit of U.S. bank Citigroup Inc as its financial advisor. Delfin's project would use existing offshore pipelines to supply gas to up to four vessels that could each produce aboutg.5 MTPA of LNG. The company has said each vessel would cost about $2 billion and take about four years to enter service. In addition to its Gulf Coast project, Delfin is also developing Avocet, which would add two more 3.5-MTPA liquefaction vessels. GRAPHIC-Expansion of global LNG gasification and regasification capacity GRAPHIC-Growing global natural gas demand UPDATE 1-Delfin asks U.S. regulators for more time to build floating LNG project Delfin Announces Advancements in Newbuild FLNG Vessel Development in Partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries and Black & Veatch U.S. gives Delfin a year to build LNG plant, company asked forg-1/2 years UPDATE 1-Delfin pushes decision to build Louisiana floating LNG export project to 2020 U.S. LNG exports drop more than a third as pandemic shrinks demand Buyers in Asia and Europe continue to cancel U.S. LNG cargoes for July loading UPDATE 2-Australia's Woodside to take $4.37 bln loss from coronavirus UPDATE 4-Shell to cut asset values by up to $22 bln after coronavirus hit LNG buyers cancel cargoes as U.S. natgas becomes most expensive in world U.S. gives Delfin another year to build Louisiana floating LNG project Delfin Midstream Signs LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement With Vitol Inc. FACTBOX-North American liquefied natural gas export projects Delfin plans final decision on U.S. Gulf of Mexico LNG project in 2022 (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Paul Simao) ((scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com; +1 332 219 1922; Reuters Messaging: scott.disavino.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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